Friends or More?
by hazeleyes06
Summary: Betty accompanies Daniel to Los Angeles for a business trip. DanielBetty
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't have any thing to do with the show Ugly Betty or the characters. It's kind of side…really.

**Chapter 1**

"Los Angeles? Why are we going to Los Angeles?" Betty asked as she followed Daniel out of his office.

"Because I have a business meeting," Daniel replied. To tell the truth, he wasn't all that thrilled about having to fly across the country just to see a new designer.

"I know that, but don't they usually bring the meetings to you?"

Daniel sighed and turned to face his assistant, "This designer has got some of the biggest items to come out this year. Mode needs him in this magazine and if that means that I have to fly completely across country to get him, then that's what I'll do"

Betty understood Daniel's reason to be annoyed. He was, after all, the editor and chief of the biggest fashion magazine ever. He shouldn't have to fly across country to get a designer in his magazine. Still, she couldn't help smiling to herself as he turned around and started walking.

"Los Angeles," she began following him, "The furthest I've been from Queens is New Jersey." She couldn't wait, "When are we leaving? How long will we be there? Are we taking a plane? I've never been on a plane before…" She stopped and looked at Daniel, "I've heard they can be pretty scary."

Daniel turned to look at his assistant. Her face was quickly becoming very white, "You know, they're very safe Betty. Much safer than cars," He was starting to worry. It wasn't like Betty to let her fears show like this. Then just as quickly as she'd turned white, she stood up straight and flashed him her greatest smile.

"You're right. I've got nothing to be afraid of," with that she turned and headed back to her desk.

Daniel smiled to himself. This was going to be an interesting trip.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Ugly Betty. These were all somebody else's great idea.

**Chapter 2**

Daniel stared at Betty from his seat. They had just gotten on the company jet. They had only been seated for a few minutes and already Betty looked like she was about to faint.

"Are you okay?" Daniel asked. She looked up at him and managed a small smile before going back to concentrating on the invisible object on her sleeve.

"Mr. Meade, we're ready for take off," the intercom screamed, causing Betty to jump. He eyed her for a moment before hitting a button and giving the pilot the okay. Betty leaned back, closed her eyes tightly, and grabbed the arm rests until her knuckles were white.

Daniel unbuckled quickly and moved to sit next to her. After buckling his seat belt, he turned to tell her it was going to be okay. But, before he could get a word out, Betty turned to him and looked directly in his eyes. What Daniel saw made his heart stop. Her hair was messy from her constantly running her hands through it, her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were slightly swollen from her biting down on them. But what truly caught his breath were her eyes. In them, Daniel could see all of her fear and it killed him to know that she was so scared. Betty quickly took Daniel's hand and grasped it for dear life then quickly closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat as the jet began to take off.

Daniel sat there in shock. He swallowed and glanced down at their hands entwined. They fit perfectly. Her hand was small and slender as it grasped his. He rubbed his thumb over her hand and his breath caught as she let out a tiny sigh.

Turning to look at her, Daniel noticed things he hadn't noticed before. She was truly beautiful. Maybe she didn't have the best fashion sense, and hid her face behind her hair and those glasses, but underneath it all Betty was beautiful. His heart began to beat faster as the jet climbed higher and higher into the sky. He quickly looked ahead and tried his hardest to ignore the sudden feelings he was having towards his assistant.

Once in the air, Betty began to relax. She opened her eyes and smiled at Daniel apologetically before releasing her hand from his. "Sorry about that," she said, "I guess I've got a fear of flying." She laughed a little before turning and looking out the window. But Daniel wasn't paying attention. He was thinking about the sudden flip his stomach did when she smiled at him.

"I'm going crazy," he thought to himself, "I don't feel that way about Betty. I can't, she's Betty!" But no matter how many times he told himself that, he knew he couldn't believe it.

Once the jet touched down, Daniel quickly unbuckled and moved to get off the plane and hopefully far away from those feelings. He'd passed most of the flight listening to Betty talk about her family. Just the sound of her voice had made his heart leap. And all the time the smell of her shampoo drove him crazy. It smelled of apricots and some other fruit he couldn't quite identify. He tried repeatedly to ignore it, but no matter how often he told himself no, he couldn't help but to lean closer and smell it again.

But now those feelings were gone. They were on solid land again and back in the real world. He didn't have to worry about those feelings anymore. At lease he hoped not.

A/N: I need reviews! Tell me what you think! I've got up to Chapter 7 written and trust me, it gets interesting!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own these cool, cool characters. It's a shame, I know.

**Chapter 3**

Betty was relieved to get off the jet. Though the view was breathtaking, every time she looked out the window she couldn't help but imagine the jet plummeting towards the land beneath her. She'd spent most of the trip talking to Daniel to keep her mind off of her irrational fear and for the most part it had worked. But something about Daniel had seemed a little off. He'd gotten so tense when she grabbed his hand.

"Of course he did!" she thought to herself, "He's my boss, I completely overstepped my boundaries!" She continued scolding herself during the limo ride to the hotel and paid no attention to Daniel's attempts at conversation.

"Once we check in, we'll go grab something to eat," Daniel thought business was the best way to keep his mind off of the events that took place earlier, "We have a meeting with Dennis Basso at 1:00 tomorrow afternoon, so until then we're free to do whatever we want," He looked over at Betty and realized she wasn't listening, "Betty?" he asked. She quickly turned to look at him and gave her best smile.

"I'm sorry Daniel, I was just thinking. What were you saying?" Daniel stared at her for a moment. He'd done it again. She smiled and his heart leapt. His mouth suddenly became very dry and he was finding it hard to look away from those bright blue eyes.

"Daniel?" she asked, "Are you okay?" He quickly came back to his senses and gave her a small nod before turning and looking out the window.

"This is bad," he thought, "This is really bad. I can't feel this way about Betty. She's my assistant. There's too much there to feel this way about her. She deserves better. She'd never feel the same way," He was quickly naming off as many reasons as he could think of to not have feelings for Betty. But none of them seemed good enough. "Am I falling in love with Betty?" The way his heart beat faster just by the thought gave him a definite answer.

A/N: Hey! I think we get some serious DB interaction the next chapter! Who's excited?! Reviews are always welcome!!!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I've got nothing to do with Ugly Betty or the characters. I truly wish I did though.

**Chapter 4**

Once they'd checked into the hotel and had their luggage delivered to their rooms, Daniel suggested they go get some food. Betty agreed and they went out in search of food. They'd only driven a few blocks when Daniel spotted an Italian place and had the driver drop them off. He'd purposefully sat closer to Betty in the limo and couldn't help but smell her shampoo again and again.

He helped her out of the limo and guided her across the street, almost giddy by the mere fact she'd let him place his hand on the lower of her back. The restaurant was fabulous. Softly glowing lights and light music gave the room a romantic feel. They were seated in a booth in the corner and were soon talking of their favorite places to eat in New York.

Daniel loved that he could be so relaxed around Betty. He didn't have to worry about making an impression or getting her to like him. They were friends, true friends. Only now he wanted to be more and it killed him. "What if she doesn't feel the same way?" he thought. "I've never really worried about a girl not liking me before, but Betty's different." He was quickly becoming focused on his thoughts and Betty began to notice.

"Is everything okay Daniel? You've been acting a little strange today." That jerked Daniel out of his thoughts and he quickly gave her a smile.

"I've just been thinking a lot about things, that's all." She pursed her lips and looked into his eyes for a moment, deciding whether he was telling the truth or not. He held his breath while she deliberated, not taking his eyes away from hers. Such beauty lay in those eyes. He began to relax as he stared into the blue depths. Without thinking he reached for her hand. A look of alarm passed over her face and brought Daniel back to his senses. He quickly withdrew his hand and looked down at his food. "You're a good friend Betty," he said as he twirled spaghetti onto his fork.

Betty smiled, "Thanks Daniel." Inside her heart was beating faster than it had ever done before. Had she just had a moment with Daniel Meade? He had tried to hold her hand. And there had been something in his eyes. What was it? Love? "No way," she thought to herself, "This is Daniel! He's got loads of beautiful women lined up just waiting for him! Why would he possibly love me?" She looked down at her food. "Daniel Meade in love with me," she laughed to herself, "What a thought."

A/N: DB next chapter! I think I said that the last chapter, but I've already got it written, so I'm sure this time! This author loves reviews!!!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, but I wish I did.

**Chapter 5**

"The pilot says there's no way he's flying in this weather," Betty said as she hung up the phone, "And I don't blame him. Have you looked outside Daniel? It's pouring down rain!" Daniel sighed and looked up at her from the couch.

"My dad is going to kill me for not making it back to work," he said as he looked back down. It had started that morning. Just a light rain at first, but by the time noon had rolled around the storm was so bad that he was worried his meeting would be cancelled. Ignoring Betty's comments that they should cancel the meeting anyway and leave before the storm got any worse, he had forced the driver out in the storm as they rode across town to the meeting.

The meeting had gone great. Dennis Masso's designs would be appearing in the April issue of Mode and Daniel had felt a huge sense of accomplishment. Not only had he talked the year's biggest designer into being in his magazine, but he was with Betty. He was certain nothing could bring him down. That was until he saw the rain. It was so heavy that he could barely see the building across the street. He knew that there was no way they would be getting home tonight.

The ride back to the hotel was awful. What was a ten minute ride earlier had turned into an hour because of traffic and the rain. Once back at the hotel Betty immediately called the pilot to see about flying out. That brought them to now. Betty sitting on the coffee table in front of him trying to comfort him while he stressed over what his father would say.

"But you got the designer to be in Mode! He couldn't be that upset, could he?" Daniel looked up at Betty and gave her a sheepish smile.

"You don't have to try and comfort me Betty. I made a mistake. It's okay. Something has to work out, right?" She gave him a smile and reached for his hands.

"Right," she said. Daniel heart began to beat faster and he was certain she could hear it. He locked eyes with her and his heart skipped a beat when she gave his hands a tiny squeeze. He looked down at her hands and took them in his. Again, they fit perfectly together. He began to run his thumbs over her hands as he'd done on the jet. He held his breath as he waited for her to respond.

"Daniel," Betty sighed as he continued to caress her hands. Her eyes fluttered shut as he brought up her hands and began placing light kisses on them. Her stomach was in knots and her heart was beating furiously.

Daniel's entire body went into overdrive after she'd whispered his name. He pulled her hands up to his lips and placed soft kisses on every inch of them. Her breath was light and hitched and it drove him crazy to know that he was the one giving her pleasure. He began to work his kisses up her arms, pulling her closer as he did so. He paused for a moment before placing kisses on her neck, then leaned in and began kissing every inch of he could reach. She leaned her neck back to allow him better access and moaned softly as he pulled her closer until their bodies were tight against each other. His hands found their way around her waist and began to explore her back while his kisses were becoming more passionate around her neck. Her arms snaked up his chest and around his neck pulling him as close as he could be. Her breath hitched as he found a hollow spot near her throat. Realizing the effect his kiss had there, Daniel began sucking on that spot occasionally thrusting his tongue out to lick her. She tasted so good and Daniel couldn't get enough of her. His kissed found their way to her jaw line and she moaned when he began to nibble at her ear.

After what seemed like hours, Daniel pulled back enough to look into Betty's eyes. His breath caught as he looked at her. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair a mess, and her eyes were full of passion. He leaned back in, placing his hands on each side of her face. Only millimeters away from her lips, he looked into her eyes to see if this was what she wanted. She nodded her head slightly and licked her lips.

"Betty," Daniel whispered as he slowly leaned in to kiss her. Just then her cell phone began to ring. She jumped and pulled away from him unable to make eye contact. She answered and after giving him one last confused look she walked out of his hotel room explaining the weather condition to whoever she was talking to, closing the door behind her. Daniel leaned back on the couch and covered his face with his hands. He let out a groan. He was crazy about her. He'd never felt this way about any woman before. His body had never reacted that way about any woman before.

He tried to put aside his feelings and think through this rationally. She was his assistant. "No," he thought to himself, "She's my friend, a true friend who listens to what I have to say and really cares about me. If I tell her how I feel, I'd be risking our friendship." Daniel sat there half the night as the rain came down hard against the window. He debated with himself. Should he tell her how he feels and risk their friendship? Should he just act like it had never happened? After hours of sitting on the couch thinking of Betty, Daniel decided that he had to tell her. She needed to know how he feels. She needs to know that he loves her.

"I'll tell her," He thought, "I'll tell her that I love her. She has to feel at least a little like I feel or she wouldn't have let it go as far as it did." He smiled to himself as his mind drifted to thoughts of Betty. "I'll tell her," he thought again before nodding off to sleep just as the sun began to peak through his curtains.

A/N: Okay! What'd you think? I like reviews, really I do!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I still don't own these characters.

**Chapter 6**

Betty sat on the edge of her bed in the hotel room still in her clothes from yesterday. She looked at her watch. 7:30 a.m. The rain had stopped halfway through the night and she was never as happy to see the sun come up as she had been at 6:12 that morning. She hadn't slept at all. She considered trying around 3:00, but couldn't make herself stand up. Instead she'd sat there on the edge of her bed in the hotel room. She'd sat there thinking about last night.

"I shouldn't have let it go so far. He was upset about the weather," she laughed out loud. Upset about the weather. She was blaming Daniel's actions last night on the weather. She closed her eyes as her mind wondered back to the events last night. The way he'd kissed her skin, the look in his eyes right before he leaned in to kiss her. She quickly stood and began to pace around the room. She knew it was wrong. She knew that he was her boss and he couldn't possibly feel that way. Even after last night. She jumped as the phone rang. After staring at it for a moment, she answered it praying that it wasn't Daniel. To her relief, it was the pilot telling her that the weather was definitely clear enough to take off by 10:00 am. She quickly thanked him and hung up.

After sitting, staring at the phone for a moment, she picked it up and quickly dialed Daniel's number before she could chicken out. She held her breath as the phone rang on the other end. She could hear it from across the hall. Finally, he picked up. "What?" he screamed through the phone. Betty sat there in shock unable to speak. "Hello?" Daniel snapped.

"The pilot called," she could barely even hear herself, "He said he would be ready for take off by 10:00," She quickly hung up before he could reply, tears beginning to run down her cheeks.

A/N: This one was kind of short, I know. But I needed a chapter to act as a bridge between Chapters 5 and 7. I'm posting 7 shortly. Hope you like it! I really like reviews!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Ugly Betty is not mine. I don't have anything to do with the making of the show or the characters. I know, it's sad.

**Chapter 7**

Daniel stared at the phone. He'd yelled at her. He stood up and quickly threw his things in his bag. After calling and informing the front desk they would be leaving within the hour, he took a quick shower and got dressed. He then marched out of his room and knocked on Betty's door before he could change his mind. He had to talk to her. He placed his hands on either side of the door for support and leaned in. He felt like he was going to be sick. Never before had a woman had him in such a state. He stared at his shoes and held his breath waiting for her to answer the door. After a few minutes, he knocked again. "She doesn't want to talk to me," he thought, "I've ruined everything with her." Slowly he stood straight and turned to go back to his room when he heard the door open. He stopped and turned toward her.

She stood in the doorway in her bathrobe. Her hair was wet and hung loosely around her shoulders and her eyes were red from crying. Even now, she was breathtaking. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her, but didn't want to scare her away. He took a step towards her and opened his mouth to apologize when she spoke.

"You're all ready to go. I didn't know we'd be leaving so soon, just give me 20 minutes and I'll be ready," She was looking down and couldn't raise her eyes to his. He closed the distance between them and took her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him.

"I am so sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to yell at you. I didn't know it was you. And I'm sorry if I scared you last night," He paused and took a breath, "but you need to know," she quickly interrupted him.

"You were stressed Daniel. It was my fault; I shouldn't have let it go so far," Her eyes were beginning to water again, "You don't have anything to be sorry about. I understand that it was a mistake." She tried to pull away but he refused. He wiped away the tears that began to fall down her face.

"It wasn't a mistake," She looked at him, surprised, "It wasn't because I was stressed and although I would have stopped if you had told me to, I didn't want to," he paused and wiped away another tear and leaned in closer, "It wasn't a mistake Betty." With that he closed the distance between them and kissed her. It was everything he'd imagined. Never had he had a kiss so full of emotion. When he allowed his tongue to probe her lips, begging for entry, she immediately parted them and he struggled to suppress a groan. He backed her up against a wall a pressed himself as tightly as he cold against her. His tongue traced every inch of her mouth. He was certain she could feel the effect she had on him and bit back another groan when she whimpered slightly.

His hands began roaming her body. He wanted to feel every inch of her. He began at her hips and slowly worked his way up while his lips left hers and began tracing kissed along her jaw line. He paused, his hands right beneath her breasts, and pulled back to seek her permission. There they stood looking at each other, breathless, until Betty leaned in to kiss him again. It was full of passion and need. Daniel slowly lowered his hands and began to untie her bathrobe. He moved his lips to her throat and sucked at her sensitive spot, pleased when he heard her moan. After he untied her robe, he reached inside to feel her smooth skin, moaning as his hands roamed over her body. He quickly moved his hand up to her breast and began kneading it. She moaned and pulled him closer, rocking her hips against his erection.

"Jesus, Betty," he began, but was cut off by another passionate kiss. He pushed her and himself against the wall and went to pull off her bathrobe. He pulled back and began to open it, all the time staring into her blue eyes. They were glistening from need and her lips were swollen and red. He moved his hands to the edge of her robe and began to slip it off her shoulders when a knock came from the door.

"Bellhop, I need to pick up Miss Suarez's bags."

Daniel sighed and regretfully closed her bathrobe. Then he looked into her eyes and said, "It wasn't a mistake."

She smiled, "I know."

A/N: What do you think? Another chapter or the end? I can't decide. Help me out here.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine. Neither is this amazing show.

**Chapter 8**

Betty was dazed. She stood there and allowed Daniel to tie her bathrobe. Her heart was racing and she was certain she wouldn't be able to stand without Daniel's support. After he'd finished tying her robe, Daniel paused and looked at her, "We can talk on the jet ride home. You should get dressed," he smiled and slowly pulled away from her, going to answer the door after she stepped into the bedroom.

An hour later they were in the air, on their way back to New York. Betty stared out the window. This time she had no problem keeping her mind off the jet crashing. She was far too occupied by the events over the past few days. Trying to keep a rash mind, she thought about what it could mean. "Does this mean he has feelings for me, that he could possibly love me?" The very idea two nights ago had made her life, but now? "It wasn't a mistake. I agree with him there. But what does he expect now?"

Daniel watched her as she sat there, buried deep in concentration. She stared at the ground thousands of miles beneath them, her eyebrows were furrowed close together and she was biting her lower lip. He knew that she was thinking about them, but he was afraid of which direction or mind, or her heart, was taking her. He wanted to try this, she and him. He believed it could work, but he was only willing to try it if she was completely okay with it.

"Betty," he leaned a little closer. She jumped slightly and looked at him, "I guess we should talk about this." He'd never felt so awkward around a woman before. What did he say to let her know how he felt?

Betty looked at her lap and pushed her glasses up, "I guess so." There it was, her heart was racing again. The sound of his voice had never done this to her before, but since last night, "No," she thought, "It's been longer than just last night. He's made my heart race for a long time now. I've just ignored it before." She looked back up at him and smiled.

Daniel's stomach flipped when she smiled. He felt like he was back in 9th grade about to ask a girl out. He cleared his throat and looked down for a second, trying to think of what to say. Betty's hand was laying on the arm rest. He took it in his own and smiled to himself. "Our hands fit perfectly together," he said. He began to trace his thumb over her knuckles, "It's amazing. My whole life I've settled for what was in front of me. Granted, I grew up rich so that was just about anything I wanted; but I was never really happy. Throughout college, I would party and be with girls that knew me for my money and hang out with guys who I thought were friends," he looked up at Betty who was looking at him with a deep look of understanding and smiled, "But then my father hired you. He hired you and I learned what it was like to have a real friend. To have someone to listen to me and you, Betty," he cupped her face with his free hand, "You listen. You listen even when I'm complaining about the most ridiculous things, and you care. That's what I love about you. You care. You care about me." Betty reached up and took his hand that held her face in her free hand as tears began to swell in her eyes. "And I would like to give this a shot; me and you. Because what I feel for you Betty, "he sighed, "I can't ignore it. I don't want to go back to how we were before. I want to be more."

He held his breath and waited for her response. Finally, after what seemed like eternity she smiled and leaned in to kiss him. It was the perfect kiss to what Daniel hoped would be the perfect future. Only time would tell.

The End.

A/N: Thanks so much to everyone for all your great reviews! Be sure to review this one as well! I think I'm going to do a sequel so be on the lookout for it! Thanks again for all your support!

Oh! Quick note, I'm sure you noticed that I said Betty had blue eyes in earlier chapters. Sorry about that. I know she's got brown eyes and honestly thought I'd typed brown. I'll be sure to double check that from now on.


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